said I.

"No."

"Under your favour, and with your leave, ma'am," said I, "are they
trustworthy?"

"Perfectly! We are all very kind to them, and they are very grateful to
us."

"Indeed, ma'am? Now--Christian George King?--"

"Very much attached to us all. Would die for us."

She was, as in my uneducated way I have observed, very beautiful women
almost always to be, so composed, that her composure gave great weight to
what she said, and I believed it.

Then, she pointed out to us the building like a powder magazine, and
explained to us in what manner the silver was brought from the mine, and
was brought over from the mainland, and was stored here. The Christopher
Columbus would have a rich lading, she said, for there had been a great
yield that year, a much richer yield than usual, and there was a chest of
jewels besides the silver.

When we had looked about us, and were getting sheepish, through fearing
we were troublesome, she turned us over to a young woman, English born
but West India bred, who served her as her maid. This young woman was
the widow of a non-commissioned officer in a regiment of the line. She
had got married and widowed at St. Vincent, with only a few months
between the two events. She was a little saucy woman, with a bright pair
of eyes, rather a neat little foot and figure, and rather a neat little
turned-up nose. The sort of young woman, I considered at the time, who
appeared to invite you to give her a kiss, and who would have slapped
your face if you accepted the invitation.

I couldn't make out her name at first; for, when she gave it in answer to
my inquiry, it sounded like Beltot, which didn't sound right. But, when
we became better acquainted--which was while Charker and I were drinking
sugar-cane sangaree, which she made in a most excellent manner--I found
that her Christian name was Isabella, which they shortened into Bell, and
that the name of the deceased non-commissioned officer was Tott. Being
the kind of neat little woman it was natural to make a toy of--I never
saw a woman so like a toy in my life--she had got the plaything name of
Belltott. In short, she had no other name on the island. Even Mr.
Commissioner Pordage (and _he_ was a grave one!) formally addressed her
as Mrs. Belltott, but, I shall come to Mr. Commissioner Pordage
presently.

The name of the captain of the sloop was Captain Maryon, and therefore it
was no news to hear from Mrs. Belltott, that h